At Sea

Leaving the small green Costa Rican Isla Coco behind us, we headed for the Equator and on to Ecuador. It was a relaxing and easy going day at sea which we spent listening to lectures and carefully watching the water for signs of interesting marine life.

Stephanie, our Marine Biologist, gave a fascinating presentation in the morning on the behavior and biology of whales, some of which we had seen several days before quite close to the ship.

In the afternoon our resident anthropologist gave an insightful presentation on the archaeology of the Andean Coast, explaining how prehistoric peoples adapted to the different environments found along costal Ecuador and Peru.

Some of the earliest fishing villages in South America are found on the coast of Ecuador where there is early evidence of domestication of cotton, cacao, and a number of other edible plants. We ended our archaeological tour with the Moche, a spectacular culture represented by the Huaca de la Luna and the Huaca del Sol, which we will visit when we later get to Trujillo in Peru.

Just as we were about to take leisurely afternoon tea, someone sighted red-footed boobies which approached the ship and then remained with us for several hours. It was exciting to watch them swoop down and scoop up the flying fish that skimmed over the silvery water. They looked like little metallic darts.

At recap, Richard showed us some exceptional pictures taken by Josh, our Videographer’s brother, several years ago, which showed exactly how the flying fish propel themselves over the water by flicking their tales at incredible speeds.

The day ended with a visit from some swallow tail gulls which stayed alongside the ship during the evening as we sat enjoying the warm balmy evening at sea.